“How-To” Cooking – Dredging

Dredging means to drag food through a dry ingredient such as cornmeal, flour, or breadcrumbs in order to fully coat the outside. Dredged food is generally deep-fried or baked as the coating helps to brown and crisp the outside of the food while retaining the moisture inside. Food can also be dredged in a plastic bag by adding the dry ingredients in and then shaking vigorously to coat. After dredging, food should be slightly shaken to remove any excess coating. Do not dredge food too far in advance of cooking as the coating will absorb the moisture from the food and it will become very gummy.